COVID-19 knocks out Montreal boxer Kim Clavel, championship fight postponed
This marks the 3rd time fight against Mexico’s Yesenia Gomez has been rescheduled
Quebec boxing suffered another setback Monday after Kim Clavel tested positive for COVID-19 just days before her scheduled championship fight in Montreal.
Clavel was due to fight title-holder Yesenia Gomez from Mexico Thursday night at the Casino de Montréal for a chance to win the World Boxing Council (WBC) flyweight championship.
Boxing promoter Yvon Michel announced the postponement of the fight Monday morning.
On Twitter, Michel said he learned of Clavel's COVID status late Sunday night, describing her symptoms as "quite virulent."
"We are staying in touch with her and sending all the positive vibes we have so that she recovers quickly," Michel wrote.
Les symptômes de <a href="https://twitter.com/KKlavel?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KKlavel</a> sont assez virulents. Nous restons en contact avec elle et lui envoyons toutes les ondes positives que nous avons pour qu'elle se rétablisse rapidement.
—@yvonmichelGYMClavel's trainer Danielle Bouchard said the virus has not been kind to the boxer.
"I talked to her this morning. She's in bed, knocked out with a fever, chills, aches and pains," Bouchard said.
"We don't know how long it will take Kim to recover. We will have discussions with [Michel] to see what is reasonable."
This is the third time the fight between Clavel and Gomez has had to be rescheduled. Last November, Clavel was injured in training. In January, Gomez demanded more time to prepare for the fight, as members of her team had contracted the virus.
A date for the Clavel-Gomez championship fight has yet to be identified. The remaining five fights scheduled for Thursday will either be rescheduled to May 5 or a later date.
With files from La Presse canadienne and Radio-Canada